“We recognise that our country’s truck drivers are carrying on with their important work in the face of the pandemic, ferrying the goods we need to all corners of our country, and for that, they are our heroes more than ever. Without them, our country would suffer even more,” says Wayne Rautenbach, head of Hollard Trucking.
But the ongoing effects of the lockdown, which include an inevitable downturn in economic activity as well as the challenges of social restrictions, have meant that Hollard Trucking cannot run this year’s competition as it would like to, and many drivers simply wouldn’t have had the opportunity to compete on a level playing field.
“It was with heavy hearts that we, therefore, chose to postpone Highway Heroes until next year. We had hoped that we could launch this year’s competition in August, four months later than usual, but it has become clear that even a postponement is not feasible,” says Rautenbach.
The good news, however, is that the 2021 competition will be bigger and better than ever!
With a substantially improved prize pool of R475 000 (including a whopping R150 000 for the overall 2021 Highway Hero) and the addition of two new categories – female drivers and refrigerated trucks – to the existing four (tankers, tippers, tautliners and flatbeds), it will be the most exciting and fiercely contested Highway Heroes to date.
“We call on our broker partners to please alert their fleet owner customers about the cancellation of Hollard Highway Heroes 2020, and ask them to inform their drivers,” says Rautenbach.
“Should you have any queries regarding the competition, please don’t hesitate to contact your Hollard representative – your broker consultant or area sales manager.”
In the meantime, we’re still rewarding our highway heroes for driving well. Our Driver Rewards Card remains operational, with card-holding drivers able to earn themselves hundreds of rands every month simply by keeping to the speed limit, not braking harshly and not driving excessively during the day or night.
If your fleet owner customers haven’t signed their drivers up for our loyalty card yet, please encourage them to do so. Apart from their drivers being able to earn an extra income, especially in these tough times, the fleet owners themselves benefit through lower maintenance costs, fewer accidents and, of course, fewer insurance claims.
